Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) Receives $48.75 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Atlanticus Holdings Co. (NASDAQ:ATLC) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $53.00.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Atlanticus from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. B. Riley raised their target price on shares of Atlanticus from $50.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JMP Securities upped their price objective on Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Atlanticus in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BTIG Research upped their target price on Atlanticus from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Insider Activity at Atlanticus

In other Atlanticus news, Director Deal W. Hudson sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.75, for a total transaction of $39,300.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 67,455 shares in the company, valued at $2,209,151.25. This trade represents a 1.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Mitchell Saunders sold 16,004 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.55, for a total value of $889,022.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 50,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,831,550.15. The trade was a 23.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 21,204 shares of company stock worth $1,080,197. Corporate insiders own 51.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Atlanticus

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ATLC. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in Atlanticus by 65.5% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,324 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $69,000 after buying an additional 920 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Atlanticus by 393.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,283 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 1,820 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Atlanticus by 158.8% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 2,971 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 1,823 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Atlanticus by 9.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 8,127 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 690 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in Atlanticus by 9.3% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 8,310 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 704 shares during the last quarter. 14.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Atlanticus Stock Performance

Shares of Atlanticus stock opened at $58.73 on Thursday. Atlanticus has a 52 week low of $23.09 and a 52 week high of $58.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $865.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.20 and a beta of 1.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $39.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.67.

Atlanticus (NASDAQ:ATLC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The credit services provider reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $351.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $326.64 million. Atlanticus had a return on equity of 25.14% and a net margin of 8.39%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Atlanticus will post 4.47 EPS for the current year.

Atlanticus Company Profile

Atlanticus Holdings Corporation, a financial technology company, provides credit and related financial services and products to customers the United States. It operates in two segments, Credit as a Service, and Auto Finance. The Credit as a Service segment originates a range of consumer loan products, such as private label and general purpose credit cards originated by lenders through various channels, including retail and healthcare, direct mail solicitation, digital marketing, and partnerships with third parties; and offers credit to their customers for the purchase of various goods and services, including consumer electronics, furniture, elective medical procedures, healthcare, and home-improvements by partnering with retailers, healthcare providers, and other service providers.